THE BIG BIOTECH BUST!

Everyone from the research scientist to the Aunty next door was yelling from the rooftop. The Biotech industry was going to be the NEXT BIG THING after IT.

Here is the reality,  the Biotech Industry in India is worth a measly $1billion, compare this with what ‘experts’ predicted ' that Biotech was going to be worth $5billion by 2010. That seems way too far off.

The reason for this are many like the long time it takes to from patent to discovery, the huge amount of budget involved for Research and the lack of synchronisation between academia and Industry.

In a recent report in the US, most life scientists did not like their job until they turned forty, and in the Indian scenario, we produce a pathetic 1200 Life Science PhDs a year. So if it takes 10-15 years after completing a PhD for you to settle in your job, how is a person expected to opt for Life Sciences as an option out of High School? Pay? Peanuts.

As for Industry and academia synchronisation, there are NO postgraduate degrees in Mol Bio, Immunology, Biochemistry and Developmental Biology in India! To think that abroad there exist entire departments devoted to these fields of study.

No. of Mtech Biotech seats in India- 160

No of applicants ' over 11000!

PhD in Biological Sciences is offered only in institutes of repute like NII, IISc and CCMB, but they too only matriculate 10 students per annum in their PhD program. Why isn’t the Indian Biotech industry not shining?

I want that Hospitals must tie-up with Universities doing research in areas like Stem Cell Technology and Gene Therapy (if any such Universities do exist) so that Life Scientists at least get employed somewhere and lead a better, well paying life.

What are your views? Please share.

PS ' someone said that we become life scientists so we can ‘do good to mankind’. Well, if you can work on weekends for half of your life trying to figure out how yeast cells age so that a cure for aging can be developed then either you must have a lot of patience, or you have to be a total freak. As for the majority of the population, we rather stay grounded on earth. And by the way, doesn’t mankind include scientists??!!